Read Online The Murder House by Simon Beaufort - Free Book Online

simple matter to visit a few potential victims to determine who had neighbours about to go away. The Sandersons were top of the resulting list.
    He and his colleagues had spent the best part of a week waiting for Yorke to target the Sanderson house, and even then it had not been easy to snag their prey. The driver was vigilant, and sounded the alarm before the police could act. The gang ran, despite the jewellery and silverware that the police had persuaded the Sandersons to scatter around in an attempt to encourage the criminals to linger. Only one had been caught – a heavy called Keith McInnes – and he refused to give up his accomplices.
    In the end, it was a partial fingerprint that had snared Yorke: one of his rubber gloves had split. Yorke vigorously denied the charges, but search warrants were issued and the case began to build. Oakley had arrested Yorke a few hours before and the man was currently on his way to prison, where he would be held until a magistrate determined whether he should be released on bail or remanded in custody until the trial. Oakley was confident bail would be refused, given the serious nature of the crimes and the fact that Emma Vinson was still in intensive care.
    â€˜Yorke is a slippery bastard,’ said Evans, wiping greasy fingers on his trousers and screwing up his crisp bag. ‘Did you see his house? He’s got a swimming pool! I wish we could have nicked that smarmy brother of his, too – Michael. He might look and sound like he went to Eton, but he’s a villain.’
    â€˜Perhaps he did go to public school. Billy has more or less raised him – being twenty years his senior – and he could certainly afford to send his brother to the best of schools on the proceeds of his crimes. He learned from a master.’
    â€˜You mean William Pullen, the corrupt architect?’ asked Evans. ‘That was years ago.’
    â€˜Fourteen or fifteen,’ agreed Oakley. ‘It was a big case at the time, because of the scale of the fraud. They almost got away with it, too.’
    â€˜We were lucky to catch McInnes though,’ mused Evans, returning to the current case. ‘Even if we lose Yorke, the world will be a better place without McInnes on the streets. I only wish we’d got Dave Randal, too. I’m sure it was him who smacked the old lady. How is she, by the way?’
    â€˜Not good,’ said Oakley. ‘Why do you reckon Randal hit her? Why not McInnes?’
    â€˜Randal’s that kind,’ said Evans. ‘Pity
his
glove didn’t split.’
    â€˜I’ll settle for nabbing Yorke. Randal and the others won’t stay out of trouble for long without him to look after them. We’ll get them. Except Michael – we’d be lucky to catch
him
making a mistake.’
    â€˜I can wait.’ Evans’ expression hardened. ‘What was the super going on about before we left? He seemed worried.’
    â€˜Bail,’ said Oakley. ‘By rights, Yorke shouldn’t get it, but the word is that Paxton is representing him. The super thinks he’s got something up his sleeve.’
    â€˜Christ! Not again!’
    â€˜He reckons Paxton only takes cases he’s sure of winning, and thinks there might be a reason why he agreed to represent Yorke. He’s afraid that Paxton’s going to pull some stunt that’ll see Yorke get bail.’
    â€˜A Butterworth’s Blunder,’ mused Evans. Even though he hadn’t known the DS, the affair had become a by-word for well-meaning but misguided actions.
    â€˜I don’t see how. Everything’s been done by the book this time. No one at New Bridewell will pull a stunt like that again.’
    Evans thought for a moment, then waved a dismissive hand. ‘Taylor’s paranoid. Paxton’s got nothing on us this time. He’s got to lose a case sooner or later, and this will be it.’
    â€˜I suppose,’ said Oakley, although a vague